Key takeaways
- NM1/RT-3 and TT-1 are employer-linked routes; other immigration categories have different conditions.
- Law 285-04 on Migration governs the residency; the Labour Code governs the employment.
- The Labour Code’s 80/20 rule shapes how many foreign staff a company can employ.
- For RT-3, the consular step is the NM1 business-with-labor visa, followed after entry by the DGM application.
- Identify the exact category before stating whether a new employer, role or activity requires another filing.
Companies expanding into the Dominican Republic usually discover the immigration question late — after the entity exists, the lease is signed and a key hire is ready to relocate. The answer is more structured than most expect, because two separate bodies of law meet here: Law 285-04 on Migration decides whether your employee may reside in the country, and the Labour Code decides whether your company may employ them once they do. Both have to line up.
Employer-linked authorization is category-specific
For NM1/RT-3 and TT-1, an identified Dominican employer and approved role or activity are central. Other immigration categories have different conditions, so first identify the exact route and its authorized scope. A visitor entry or employment contract alone is not universal work authorization. Where the employer is a new local entity, this analysis often runs alongside company formation.
For an employer-linked category, a change of employer, role, activity or approved geographic scope may require a new or amended filing. The result depends on the exact category and authorization, so group-company transfers should be reviewed before the employee moves.
The 80/20 rule that shapes your hiring plan
The Labour Code generally requires Dominican nationals to make up at least 80% of the workforce, with a parallel payroll rule, subject to express statutory exclusions and exceptions. Test the employer’s actual headcount, payroll and role against the current rule; do not assume an exception because a company is small or newly formed.
For a company opening with three expatriates and no local staff, this is not a detail to discover during the filing. We model the headcount ratio before the first offer letter goes out.
The documents and the sequence
The file has two halves. The employer contributes corporate standing: mercantile registration, RNC, evidence of compliance with the social security system, and the employment offer describing the role, salary and duration. The employee contributes personal documents — passport, long-form birth certificate, marriage certificate where dependants travel, police clearance and academic or professional credentials where the role requires them.
Foreign public documents may require an apostille or consular legalization, depending on the issuing country and receiving authority. Confirm translation, original or certified-copy and freshness requirements separately. For RT-3, the sequence then runs:
- NM1 business-with-labor visa at the Dominican consulate serving the employee’s jurisdiction.
- Entry and filing at the Dirección General de Migración, with the local medical examination and biometrics.
- RT-3 residence card. DGM currently states that no personal identity cédula is issued for RT-3; payroll, banking and TSS onboarding must be confirmed for the exact authorized category.
Attempting to compress this by having the employee enter as a visitor and begin work is the error we are most often asked to unwind, and it is the most expensive one.
Employer obligations that follow
Sponsorship is not a one-off act. TSS registration, Labor Ministry filings, payroll withholding and immigration renewals must align with the exact category and employment. Companies that treat immigration as a hiring formality rather than an ongoing compliance line can discover a lapsed or mismatched status during an audit. Our tax and payroll desk keeps those dates on the same calendar as the fiscal ones.
For TT-1 renewal, DGM Resolution 001-2026 requires the new employment contract to be formally registered or approved by the Ministry of Labor; a filing receipt or sworn income statement is insufficient. The card authorizes remunerated work only within the approved activity and geographic area, and informal work is excluded. Current renewal evidence also includes TSS registration, employer undertaking, guarantee policy and required passport validity.
When another route fits better
Not every relocation belongs in an employer-linked category. A founder may need an investor analysis, but only a qualifying certified investment supports that route. Remote work for an overseas employer does not by itself establish rentista residency: MIREX excludes salary from the published rentista requirements, and the official visa catalogue does not list a separate digital-nomad category. Immigration, work and tax treatment should be assessed case by case.
Frequently asked questions
Can an employee start work while the residency application is pending?
Employment should follow authorization rather than precede it. Beginning work on a visitor status exposes both the employee and the sponsoring company, and it is the most common problem we are asked to correct.
Does the work permit cover the employee’s family?
Spouses and dependent children are processed alongside the principal as dependants. Their status derives from the principal’s, so it is affected if the sponsorship ends.
What happens if the employee changes employer?
For an employer-linked category, a change of employer, role, activity or approved geographic scope may require a new or amended filing. Check the exact authorization before making the change.
Does the 80/20 rule apply to a company with only two employees?
The statutory workforce and payroll ratios, and any express exclusion or exception, must be tested against the employer’s actual headcount, payroll and proposed role. Do not assume an exception because the company is small or newly formed.